Alice Han

Your book takes the reader through the recent history of Apple's incredible investment in China.

What's striking to me is that Apple as a company, earning $400 billion in revenues, is unlike most US tech companies, it is very hardware dependent and very China dependent.

And in fact, in the course of its evolution and a relationship with China, it's actually doubled down on its China dependency.

And the iPhone is still its most important product with huge vulnerabilities because of its relationship and ties to China.

Why, to your mind, has China doubled down on this strategy that's made it even more reliant on China in the last few years and not less?

And just a quick follow up, why is it that it's so hard to get off this China dependency?

What is it that's so sui generis and unique about the China case that makes it so captive?

Well, the other thing that struck me as interesting, Patrick, in your book is the fact that in a way, and I'm inferring it, you can't have Huawei and Xiaomi in China without Apple in China.

That there were in some of these contracts embedded within the relationship between the OEM suppliers and Apple, that they couldn't be the suppliers too dependent on Apple.

Can you walk us through that a little bit?

Because I find that fascinating when we think about the introduction of these Western companies like Apple and Tesla, that in a way they kind of kickstart a domestic ecosystem that wouldn't have existed without them.

That's a great way to think about it.

Patrick McGee, thank you so much.

This is a great case study for how hard it is to actually decouple from China.

Patrick McGee is the author of Apple in China.

Patrick, thank you so much for your time.

All right, James, it's predictions time.

What's your prediction for the week?

Well, James, it's good to put your money where your mouth is.

And so we'll see at the end of next year whether or not we drink a toast to that trade.